Overview
Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust is supporting the provision of Occupational Therapy on the Preparing-PIPE at HMP Hindley, working in close partnership with custodial staff and North West Psychology Services who are the lead providers of the service. HMP Hindley is a Category C male prison located in Wigan. The Preparation PIPE is a specialist 10-bed residential unit within a training prison, forming part of the national Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) Pathway. The service provides a psychologically informed, supportive environment for individuals with complex personality-related needs who are not yet ready to engage in structured treatment interventions. The PIPE focuses on building engagement, emotional stability and interpersonal skills through consistent relational practice, structured activities and dedicated keywork. Staff are trained to work in a psychologically informed way, using everyday interactions to support behaviour change, improve relationships and reduce risk. The service aims to prepare residents to progress to more intensive OPD interventions, enhance their ability to manage risk and relationships, and support safe and effective progression through their sentence.
Job summary
We are recruiting a Specialist Occupational Therapist to join the team at HMP Hindley. The candidate will ensure the delivery of a high-quality Occupational Therapy service within the PIPE. This is a unique and autonomous role, with the post holder as the sole Occupational Therapist on the PIPE, working alongside a multi-disciplinary team of operational staff and forensic psychology colleagues. They will deliver specialist occupational therapy assessment, formulation and intervention, including individual and group work, supporting those with complex clinical and risk presentations. The role focuses on promoting occupational engagement, psychological wellbeing and pro-social functioning through therapeutic, recreational and supportive activities. The post holder will also contribute across the PIPE and wider prison, enhancing psychologically informed workforce capacity and supporting a relational approach to care and risk management. The successful candidate will have experience working with individuals with complex needs who may struggle to engage, ideally in secure or institutional settings. They will be confident managing professional, ethical and organisational challenges in a complex environment and able to work both autonomously and collaboratively. The post holder will be professionally supported and line managed by the OPD service at HMP Garth, which has an established Occupational Therapy team with extensive experience delivering services in similar settings.
Main duties of the job
To deliver specialist occupational therapy assessment, formulation and intervention within the PIPE and to lead a high-quality OT service for service users with mental illness-related needs in a custodial setting. To provide an inclusive, evidence-based and outcome-focused service as part of a multidisciplinary team, guiding and influencing the integrated therapeutic approach for nurses, psychology, medical staff, speech and language therapists, and direct care staff in developing meaningful occupational/recreational/educational activities.
About us
Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people and commissioning services across the North West, North Wales and the Midlands. We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health, and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. We are committed to delivering “perfect care” – safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient care. We support our staff to do the best job and work with service users, their families and carers to design and develop future services. Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.
Job description & responsibilities
To provide leadership and highly specialist clinical expertise in the provision of an Occupational Therapy service for service users with mental illness-related needs within a custodial setting. To provide an OT service that is inclusive of best practice, evidence-based practice and outcome-focused care. To work as a member of the multidisciplinary team in providing and coordinating a therapeutic, person-centred treatment and care pathway. To provide clinical expertise to guide and influence the integrated therapeutic approach from an OT perspective to registered nurses, psychology, medical staff, speech and language therapists and support/direct care staff in the development and provision of meaningful occupational/recreational/educational facilities.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Diploma/Degree or equivalent Occupational Therapy qualification
- Evidence of post-qualified study/short courses and Continuing Professional Development
- Health and Care Professions Council Registration
Desirable
- Post Graduate qualification in relevant area to role
- Fieldwork Educator Training
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Current legislation and national initiatives related to mental illness
- Clinical and environment assessment & management of clinical risk
- Knowledge of Mental Health Act 1983 (as amended by Mental Health Act 2007)
- Knowledge of Mental Health Capacity Act 2005
- Knowledge of relational security “See Think Act” (DoH, 2010)
- Minimum of three years post-qualifying experience as an Occupational Therapist
- Supervision of staff and students
- Development of Occupational Therapy services
- Application of Occupational Therapy Models of Practice and Standardised Assessments & Outcome Measures
- Involvement in research and clinical audit
Desirable
- AMPS training
- Personality Disorder
- Autism
- Dialectical Behavioural Therapy
- Sensory Integration
- OCAIRS
- MOHOST
- VQ
- ACIS
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
- Psycho-Social Intervention
- Experience of working in forensic services
- 12 months in learning disabilities/mental health services
- Line-manage non-OT staff
- Familiar with Electronic Patient Records (EPR) system
- Understanding and use of the Model of Human Occupation and its associated assessment tools and outcome measures
Skills
Essential
- Leadership Qualities
- Ability to provide training, advice and guidance to staff/service users
- Ability to complete assessments and clinical reports in line with the CPA process and Royal College of Occupational Therapy guidance
- Demonstrates depth of clinical skills and implementation of Occupational Therapy clinical practice and ability to hold a complex caseload
- Ability to identify and implement clinical and service developments
- Ability to work autonomously as well as effectively with team members and other agencies
- Managerial Skills
- Ability to be an effective role model
- Clear effective written & verbal communication
- Basic IT skills
- Ability to be an effective role model
Desirable
- Designing and implementing research projects
- Ability to reflect and critically appraise own and others performance
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.
Employer details
Employer name
Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust
Address
HMP/YOI Hindley
Barracks Road
Wigan
WN2 5TH
United Kingdom
Employer’s website
https://www.merseycare.nhs.uk/
Clinical Services Manager – Prison Services
#J-18808-Ljbffr…